1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for dispensing and holding dental articulating paper.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
A preliminary patentability search conducted in class 433, subclasses 153, 89, 71, 70, 69, and 68; class 221, subclass 36; and class 226, subclasses 129, 128, and 127, produced the following patents which may be relevant to the present invention:
Ipsen, U.S. Pat. No. 1,052,344, issued Feb. 4, 1993, discloses a ticket holder including a housing for holding a plurality of tickets, a thumb operated member mounted within the housing in such a manner that a ticket vendor can dispense a single ticket through a slot in the housing by merely sliding the thumb operated member back and forth. The housing is provided with a spring that forces the tickets against the thumb operated member.
Keck, U.S. Pat. No. 1,658,989, issued Feb. 14, 1928, discloses a device for wetting, cutting and dispensing a length of gummed tape from a roll of gummed tape. The device includes a roller for applying moisture to the tape, a severing mechanism for cutting the tape, and a chain and sprocket mechanism for activating the roller.
McCarthy et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,126,631, issued Mar. 31, 1964, discloses an articulating paper apparatus for use in the practice of dentistry to test occlusion of natural teeth, etc. The apparatus includes a piece of common disposable articulating paper bent longitudinally to lend stiffness to the paper, and an elongate stick having a slot at one end for receiving the piece of articulating paper and to provide a handle to allow the piece of articulating paper to be easily inserted into a patient's mouth. Dental wax or the like is used to adhere the piece of articulating paper to the stick.
Newman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,138,312, issued Jun. 23, 1964, discloses a device for dispensing note paper of varied selectable lengths from a continuous roll. The device includes a support for a roll of note paper, and a manually operable feed means for selectively feeding a leading segment portion of the roll of note paper to an operable writing position against a backing surface to facilitate the writing of notes, etc., on the leading segment portion of the roll of note paper.
Kokal, U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,881, issued Jun. 1, 1976, discloses a bite intensity detecting articulating paper for marking tooth contact points in differing colors on occlusion. The differing colors correspond to differing biting pressures exerted between the teeth. The paper is impregnated with a plurality of groups of different color ink producing chemicals or individual granules, each of the different groups designed to rupture at different biting pressures for producing resultant various predetermined colors.
Hackmann et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,229, issued May 23, 1989, discloses a dispenser for dispensing strips which contain medicine and can be divided into individual sections as they are dispensed. The dispenser includes a housing having a storage space for strips and a discharge passageway through which strips are dispensed. A ramp interconnects the storage space and passageway, and a feed wheel feeds strips along the ramp. The feed wheel is actuated by an actuating member operable from outside the housing. The actuating member shifts a drive pawl which engages a peripheral gear on the feed wheel.
Maness et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,993, issued Aug. 15, 1989, discloses a contact sensor for detecting points on a grid where the sensor is being contacted on opposing sides by teeth surfaces or other contacting points, especially for measuring dental occlusion. The contact sensor includes two sets of parallel electrodes which are each formed on a thin, flexible supporting sheet, and arranged so that an electrode of one set intersects an electrode of the other set. An electric circuit measures the resistance at the intersection between two opposing electrodes, and provides an output representative of the opposing forces at the intersection. The resistance between each electrode intersection changes as pressure on opposites sides of the intersection changes.
Callne, U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,849, issued Jan. 26, 1993, discloses an articulating paper holder which has an elongated handle and an elongated holding arm. The holding arm is securely attached to and extends from the handle. The holding arm includes a holding means for securely holding a piece of articulating paper for imprinting occlusion contact patterns.
Nothing in the known prior art discloses or suggests the present invention. More specifically, nothing in the known prior art discloses or suggests an apparatus including a container having an interior configured to contain a length of articulating paper; a housing member attached to the container; the housing member having an outlet; conveyor means for conveying the distal end of the length of articulating paper from the interior of the container to the outlet of the housing member; cutter means for cutting off a piece of articulating paper from the distal end of the length of articulating paper when the conveyor means conveys the distal end of the articulating paper to the outlet of the housing member; and holder means for securely holding the piece of articulating paper after the conveyor means conveys the distal end of the articulating paper to the outlet of the housing member and after the cutter means cuts off the piece of the articulating paper from distal end of the length of articulating paper.